Ennis: “I Had a Dream I’d Stop Stanionis Just Like That”

Newly crowned unified welterweight world champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs) shared his emotions after dismantling previously unbeaten Eimantas Stanionis (15-1, 9 KOs) on the night of April 13 in Atlantic City, earning the WBA, IBF, and The Ring Magazine titles.

“I think I made a statement. But I still want to go back and watch the fight.

I felt like I was just getting into my rhythm — starting to relax, starting to have fun.

My dad (and trainer Derek Ennis) told me, ‘Keep pushing, the ref’s about to stop it.’

And here’s the crazy part — I had a dream I would stop him exactly like that in the seventh round… and that’s exactly what happened.”

Ennis praised Stanionis as a real threat — and said that’s when he shines brightest.

“The most important thing is that I was having fun, being myself, and had a true opponent in front of me.

When there’s a real fighter across the ring — you see what happens. I put on a show, I enjoy it, I show my speed, my power, defense, some inside work. I showed it all.

Like I’ve said before: when it’s a real opponent, it’s a whole different ‘Boots.’ And I’m just going to keep leveling up.”

He also touched on the tactical side of the bout:

“I felt like I could go to the body all day.

In the ring, he felt a lot shorter — that’s his style, kind of crouched.

So when I went to the body, I was like, ‘Hmm, I need to adjust.’

And I did — I still found a way to break him down.”

As a reminder, Stanionis took a knee in round six, and his corner stopped the fight at the end of the round — resulting in an RTD 6. It was the first loss of Stanionis’ career.